It is time we hyped local football league

By STEVE ABADE

With adequate financing at the club and league management levels, we could dream of rivaling such leagues as the English Premier League

After a poor run in the English Premier League (EPL), a local Manchester United fan in Nairobi’s Pipeline Estate decided he couldn’t take it any more…he threw himself from the upper floor of his apartment and lost his life.

It is no secret that the English Premier League is by far the most loved and watched league worldwide. It evokes deep passion and most football lovers believe it is the best league in the world. This is true to any producer or supplier all love it when their products or services are perceived as top notch despite their frailties.

Back in the 1980s, it is the German Bundesliga that was the in-thing, remember football made in Germany?

After its rebranding in early 2000, the EPL has grown in leaps and bounds. This, attested by its global viewership. This growth hinges on its packaging and general hype around the EPL. The British media and all stakeholders have tediously worked to convince all and sundry that the EPL is the big thing.

selling fake tickets

In contrast, we have all worked to portray the Kenyan Premier League as nothing more than a pass time for rabble – rousers, hooligans, idlers, swindlers selling fake tickets, police testing new brands of tear gas and football fathers seeking to fatten their already burgeoning bellies.

Whereas the British tabloids carry mouth watering stories regarding their league; the damsels attending matches, the enviable lifestyles of their players, gossip regarding big money moves.

Our own version of the same give prominence to heartrending stories of hooligans, officials with nothing new to offer and features of some stunt pulling fans carrying cooked ugali, fried fish or bread to dusty stadia, riot police on full combat or on horse backs and such other distressing pictures.

worth a thousand words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Of course such pictures and jobs involved can never be helpful brand ambassadors of the local league. They devalue this brand.

When KPL was struggling in the mid and late 2000, it took the intervention of some prominent media personalities and socialites to create some hype about it, in the process convincing most fans to troop back to stadia. Attending the matches those days, you could see this group grow in size with every single weekend ultimately filling the stands.

Every Monday morning this group of patriots would review their weekends mentioning the matches they attended at the City Stadium. The banner sports headline in the Standard on Monday then, would leave you wanting to read the whole story regarding the KPL.

It is out of this hyping that even the Gor Mahias’ Green Jersey became fashionable to the point that staff at Safaricom presented it to their out-going CEO Michael Joseph.

This illustrates what a bit of hyping can do to any league. That’s what the KPL chiefs led by Jack Oguda should work on. They need to enlist the help of Sports Journalist, brand Managers and some ambassadors to market this brand, packaging and aligning its communication to achieve desired objectives.

This is not rocket science…if achieved; sponsors would line up to partner with this league. And with adequate financing at the club and league management level, we could dream of rivaling such leagues as the English Premier League.

The KPL needs to take a cue from the Rugby Union. The latter has over time done well in hyping its events and activities. You only need to look at the Safaricom Sevens to appreciate this. Right from the 15,000 seater RFUEA grounds to Nyayo National Staduim and now the 60,000 all- seater Safaricom Staduim -Kasarani.

The Tusker Premier League has immense potential; we just need to create some excitement about it. — stephen_abade@yahoo.com

—The writer is a local football enthusiast.